An Imperfect Hero

Here are the words of the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah, regarding Jesus, our rescuer:
68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David    74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear...It is God's nature to rescue - when humanity was held in the bondage of sin, He provided a way of redemption by sending His Son to die.   When we are tempted, He provides a way of escape for us.   When we are held in bondage by the power of the enemy, He has said that we are more than conquerors in Christ.   And, when we encounter desperate situations or come in contact with people who need the life-saving, life-changing presence of God, He just might use us to bring relief.   You might not want to call it heroic, but if we're willing to be used of the Lord, we can be that hero to someone and point to the ultimate hero, Jesus.

The book of Jude can remind us that God is a merciful rescuer, and He will call us and use us to intervene in the lives of those who are oppressed:
21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

One of the most gratifying stories that we've heard recently is from Cleveland, where 3 young women who have been missing for some 10 years were discovered essentially in captivity in a house.  
The rescuer is an unlikely hero, Charles Ramsey, who, according to a story on The Christian Post website, was eating a hamburger in his home when he heard a girl screaming.   He and another neighbor from across the street ran to the house, which Ramsey thought was empty since he saw his neighbor, Ariel Castro, leave earlier that day.

It was there that they discovered 27-year-old Amanda Berry, who pleaded with them for help. "'I'm stuck in here, help get me out,'" he said the captive woman screamed.

After struggling to open the door, he kicked the door open enough so Berry could crawl out with her young daughter fathered by her captor. Even though he was still in shock himself, he helped her call 911 and waited with her until the police arrived.

His initial interviews were animated and sometimes contained colorful language.  In a more subdued appearance, he said to CNN's Anderson Cooper, who asked him about being a hero: "No, no, no. Bro, I'm a Christian, an American, and just like you. We bleed same blood, put our pants on the same way. It's just that you got to put that – being a coward, and I don't want to get in nobody's business. You got to put that away for a minute,"

Berry and the two other women, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, are now free.   A police report describes a grisly tale of beatings, solitary confinement, starvation, and apparently at least 2 of the young women becoming pregnant.   Berry had given birth to a 6-year-old daughter, who was also rescued.

 

There are no resumes or special qualifications for being a hero.    And, there may be circumstances where if you are willing and obedient, God will use you to be an example to someone, which is heroic in itself, or to provide advice that can help someone make the right decision, or be involved in some sort of life-saving rescue, physically - or spiritually.    Charles Ramsey reminds us that all heroes are imperfect.   He apparently has a police record, and would not be considered to be the greatest role model in the world.   But, he was instinctive.   He sensed something was wrong, and he set out to do what he thought was right.   I have great confidence in the majority of humanity - that faced with a dangerous or troubling situation, a person will do the right thing.   And, I believe that's due in part to the remnants of the Christian values that have been passed down from generation to generation.   There is still a moral fiber that will drive someone to respond in the correct manner.

 

Charles Ramsey heard the cries of desperation, he was sensitive to them, and responded in the right way - I trust that our instincts as Christians would be to hear the cries or discern that something is amiss and be willing to intervene in the lives of those who are suffering.   Finally, a hero is intentional...you don't just think about what to do, or what you could do, or make a statement saying how you don't agree with this, or talk to your neighbors - sometimes you have to act; you are motivated to do something.   Merely recognizing a problem is not enough - the Lord will call you to take action; in His way and in His time.

 

We can be challenged to be discerning, seeing with spiritual eyes and hearing with spiritual ears regarding the needs of those around us.  As I was reminded by a tweet earlier this week, there are people all around us that are being held captive - by sin, by the power of the enemy, facing desperate circumstances - our challenge is to be sensitive to their plight and respond with God's love and power.